Belinda Reininger

Belinda Reininger, Professor and Regional Campus Dean at UTHealth School of Public Health in Brownsville, is a public health intervention researcher focused on Hispanic populations. She leads community-driven initiatives to improve health outcomes through policy and environmental changes, including tobacco-free ordinances, community gardens, and chronic care programs.

• Regional Campus Dean, UTHealth School of Public Health (Brownsville)
• Professor, Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences
• Board of Trustee, Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District

Her research emphasizes participatory methods involving community health workers to address social determinants of health, with applications in nutrition, physical activity, and chronic disease prevention along the U.S.-Mexico border region. She has directed the Rio Grande Valley Summer Science Internship program to support first-generation college students.

• 2016 - Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award (UT System)
• 2018 - University of Texas System Kenneth Shine Academy of Health Science Education

Belinda earned her bachelor’s in education from The University of Texas at Austin, followed by an MPH and DrPH from UTHealth School of Public Health. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the same institution and joined the faculty when the Brownsville campus opened in 2001.